National University Women’s Badminton Team Shows Promise in UAAP Season 86, Says Coach Llanes

Manila – National University (NU) badminton head coach Jaime Llanes expressed optimism about the women’s team’s performance in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86.

According to Philippines News Agency, who spoke to the Philippine News Agency on Monday, the team showed grit and handled pressure well in their recent match against the University of the Philippines (UP). Last Sunday, NU narrowly defeated Season 85 runner-up UP with a 3-2 score at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center, placing them alongside Ateneo de Manila University at the top of the standings with a 2-0 card each.

In Sunday’s match, team captain Sarah Barredo emerged victorious against Aldreen Concepcion with scores of 21-18 and 21-10. Ysabel Amora also won her singles match against Susmita Ramos, and the team of Barredo and rookie Lee-Anne De Leon took the first doubles match. However, UP managed to tie the score 2-2 before NU secured the win. Llanes, who has been coaching both men’s and women’s teams for eight years, said that maintaining focus and determination would be key for the Lady Bulldogs to improve their performance this season.

Unlike the men’s team, which has secured seven championships, the women’s team’s best showing in the past four seasons has been a third-place finish. Llanes emphasized that mental toughness and eagerness to win would be the differentiating factors for the team going forward. His assistant coaches for the teams are Kevin Dalisay and Bianca Carlos Dalisay.

NU is slated to compete against the University of Santo Tomas in both men’s and women’s divisions when the competition resumes on November 4. Llanes, a former national athlete and a quarterfinalist in the 1997 Malaysian Satellite Circuit, believes both teams have strong chances, noting the presence of top players in the men’s and women’s divisions.